Sliding drawer and locking means therefor



Apr. 10, 1923.

11,45,974 J. HEOTES SLIDING DRAWER AND LOCKING MEANS THEREFOR Filed Apr.l2, l922 2 sheets-sheet l INVENTOR WITNESS: A'FI'ORNEY Apr. 10, 1923.

J. HEOTES SLIDING DRAWER AND LOCKING MEANS THEREFOR Filed Apr J 12, 19222 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Apr. 10, 1923. I .i

JOHN HEOTES, OF TOMAHAWK, WISCONSIN.

SLIDING DRAWER AND LOCKING MEANS THEREFOR.

Application filed April 12, 1922. Serial No. 552,003.

To all whom it art-[Ly concern: igure is a top plan view thereof.

Be it known that I, JoHN Hnorns, a citi- Figure 6 is a detail view. zenof the United States, residing at Toma- A cabinet or similar article offurniture hawk, in the county of Lincoln and State is illustrated by thedrawings and is broadly 60 5 of isconsin, have invented new anduseindicated by the numeral 1. The cabinet ful Improvements in SlidingDrawers and may be provided with any desired number Locking MeansTherefor, of which the folof secret drawers which, are locked inaclowing is a specification. cordance with this invention, only one ofTh s invention has reference to an article the same, however, beingshown by the 65 10 of furniture. drawings. The outer face or frame forthe The object of the invention is to produce drawer is indicated by thenumeral 2, the an article of furniture having sliding drawdrawer beingbroadly indicated by the nuers' that shall be provided with means formeral 3. The drawer slides through the preventing the opening of thedrawers 6X- frame on the usual cleats 4:, the lower edges 70 cept byauthorized persons. of the sides of the drawer, in the present A furtherobject is to produce an article instance projecting a suitable distancebe of furniture provided with a sliding drawer low the bottom 5 thereof.Secured to the that is divided into a front and into rear under face ofthe cleats l there is a bottom compartments, spring influenced meansbeboard for the cabinet 2 which is indicated 75 ing arranged on thebottom of the drawer by the numeral ('5, and there is a slight space tocontact with the outer member of the 7 provided between the outer edgeof the frame of the furniture to prevent the opening board 6 and thelower member of the frame, of the drawer, said spring influenced meansthe said lower member being, for distincbeing effectively concealed butdesigned to tion, indicated by the numeral 3.

2 be contacted by a suitable instrument to Secured to the bottom 5adjacent to the permit of the opening of the drawer, spring inner edgethereof there is a pair of stop means being employed to influence themembers 9 respectively. The members 9 drawer to open position, andwherein, after are constructed of some suitable springy the firstmentioned locking means have been material either wood or metal, and areeach 85 30 released, the remaining locking means will in the nature of aflat bar. Each of the be brought to contacting engagement with stop bars9 has its upper face at its outer the frame so that only the outercompartend beveled, as at 10, and securing means ment of the drawer willbe open, a similar 11 pass through this end of the stop bars instrumentbeing necessary to depress the and enter the bottom of the drawer tohold 99 remaining spring influenced means to per: the opposite ends ofthe stop bars at a mit access being obtained to the inner comdownwardinclination and in the path of partments of the. drawer. contact withthe lower member 8 of the The foregoing, and other objects which frame.By suc'h arrangement, it will be will present themselves as the natureof the seen that the drawer cannot be moved to 95 40 invent-ion isbetter understood, may be acopen position until after suitable flatelecomplished by a construction and combinaments are inserted in thespace 7 and tion of parts such as is disclosed by the brought to contactwith the said stop memdrawings which accompany and which form here tospring the same above the upper part of this specification. edge of themember 8 of the frame.

In the drawings The drawer is divided by suitable parti- Figure l is avertical transverse sectional tions into an outer compartment 12 andinview through an article of furniture such as ner compartments 13. Fordistinction, the a cabinet in accordance with this invention. partitionthat provides the rear wall of the Figure 2 is a bottom plan viewthereof, outer compartment is indicated by the nu- 105 the legs of thecabinet being in section. meral 14. the confronting end walls of the Fire 3 is a sectional view approxiinner compartments being spaced asuitable matefi on the line 33 of Figure 2, but distance away from eachother whereby a showing the drawer opened to permit access space isarranged therebetween at the rear to the outer compartment thereof. ofthe drawer to accommodate a block 15 Figure 4 is bottom plan View of thethat is secured to the rear wall of the cabidrawea net. The block. h sit fr m: face acoilecl spring 16, the said spring contacting with therear wall of the partition 14 impedes the drawer to partial openposition when the stop members 9 have been operated, as previouslydescribed.

It is one of the purposes of this invention to provide means whereby theinner compartments of the drawer are rendered secret even should aperson have knowledge of operating the stops 9 to open the drawer toobtain access to the outer compartment 12, and to accomplish this Isecure on the bottom 5 of the drawer 3, at the rear thereof, andcentrally between the stop members 9 an additional but shorter stop 1'7.This stop may be constructed of wood or metal, but in the showing of thedrawings is in the nature of an arched spring plate, the same havingitsrear end secured to the bottom 5 of the drawer at the rear thereof. Thestop 17 is of a length equalling the distance between the rear of thedrawer 3 and the outer face of the partition 14:, and it will beapparent that when the drawer is opened, as previously described, thestop 17 will contact with the member 8 of the frame so that it will benecessary to insert a fiat instrument through the space 7 to force thestop 17 out of contact with the member 8 of the frame before the drawercan be moved to a further outward position to obtain access to the rearor inner compartments 13.

It is believed that the foregoing description, when taken in connectionwith the drawings will fully set forth the construction, operation andadvantages of the improvement to those skilled in the art to which surhinventions relate, and that further detailed description will not berequired. It is thought necessary to state, however, that I do notdesire being restricted to the precise structural details herein setforth and that I may make any such changes therefrom as fall within thescope of what I claim.

Having described the invention, I claim The combination with a cabinetor similar article of furniture having a drawer opening, a drawerslidable through the opening, a bottom below the drawer whose outer edgeis spaced from the frame of the cabinet, said drawer divided into anouter and inner compartments, spring means in the cabinet contacting thedrawer for influencing the same to open position, downwardly inclinedspring bars secured to the bottom of the drawer in contact with theouter member of the frame of the cabinet for holding the drawer fromopening, and said members designed to be moved to releasing position bythe insertion of an instrument through the space between the bottom andframe of thecabinet to move the bars out of contact with the cabinet.and a downwardly inclined spring stop member secured to the bottom ofthe drawer for contacting the frame of the cabinet when the drawer hasbeen moved a distance to uncover the outer compartment, and wherein aflat instrument must be inserted in the referred to space to influencethe last mentioned stop to permit of the full opening of the drawer.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN HEOTES.

